Part 39: Erase / Rewind
Chapter 8: Erase / RewindNow that the vote has decided on secret character B-ho, there are a few orders of business and priorities for the rest of this run:
1) B-ho's primary stats are General Knowledge and Looks - Goon will need to build those stats in the 120+ range in order to get the right ending. Preferably, he will build these stats on the weekend so that Miyuki doesn't show up.
2) Miho's affection may not exceed B-ho's affection or B-ho will not show up for certain events (Sports Festival and Hatsumoude).
3) Takumi cannot, repeat, cannot pick Miho as his target. If he does, the game becomes unwinnable.
4) Avoiding bombs is not necessarily a priority this run, as B-ho is not affected by the relationship chart and will never create a bomb on her own. In fact, if Miho's affection becomes too high due to drama club association, then it may become beneficial for Goon to bomb himself.
Oh yeah, and I'll need to reload from earlier because it turns out that my current save met Miyuki at some point, so we begin this chapter with an auspicious reload all the way back to 10/10, before the botanical gardens date.
RELOAD COUNT: 64
10/11: Straight-up trolling
As you may recall, I tried 8 or 9 times to get B-ho to show up to this location, and she didn't show up before. Now I rewind 2 months, and she shows up on the first try. What a troll.
In case you're wondering, her dialogue is 100% the same as Miho's until you make the choice:
B-ho: Isn't it really relaxing to be surrounded by greenery like this?
Option 1: Yeah, there are a lot of broadleaf trees I recognize.
Option 2: Yeah, it makes me want to take a nap.
Option 3: I can't help but worry about bugs.
Much like Miho going ice skating, B-ho doesn't particularly like this location, so the best reaction you can get out of her is neutral.
Goon: I can't help but worry about bugs.
B-ho: Oh, you're a tightly-wound Type A, aren't you?
Goon: (Eh.)
10/17: Invite Miho? out on a date
Miho(?) accepted a date on 10/24 at the karaoke box, one of B-ho's favorite spots. This should strain the RNG the least!
10/24: Karaoke date
Score! B-ho showed up.
Goon: How lucky, there's no wait! We'll be getting a room soon.
B-ho: My horoscope said that lots of luck would be waiting today, just like this.
If you've never been to a Japanese-style karaoke box before, it's very different from the stage-and-screen setup that is associated with karaoke bars. Karaoke boxes in Japan are filled with small, private rooms for rent by the hour. Because the rooms are usually well-soundproofed, it's considered one of the few places in Japan where you can really cut loose and shout, short of being at a concert or a baseball game. Amusingly, this means that Japanese karaoke boxes are an ideal place for tabletop RPG groups to rent and meet up for extended sessions of Dungeons & Dragons or the like. This little nugget of information brought to you by the Tenra Bansho RPG.
B-ho: What do you want to sing?
Option 1: I have to sing the kind of enka that makes your soul shake.
Option 2: Hmm, maybe I'll belt out some hot-blooded rock tunes.
Option 3: The latest idol song, of course.
Between old-person enka, cutesy idol pop, and power rock, what do you think B-ho would like?
Goon: Hmm, maybe I'll belt out some hot-blooded rock tunes.
B-ho: Good idea, let's shout our lungs out.
Goon: (Looks like I made a pretty good impression.)
After this, the culture festival and Goon's birthday both passed exactly like they did previously. The only notable change from before is an invitation to go skating on 12/5. Oh, and:
This is Miho's autumn uniform at school. Please take notes, there will be a test later.
12/5: Snow day
Goon: Shirayuki-san.
Miho: Fudou-san. I'm sorry. I ran a little bit late.
Goon: I just got here too, you're not late. Let's get moving.
Miho: Oh, but will we be able to do anything in this weather?
Goon: (Oh, crap!)
Miho: There'll be nothing to do if we go there, so we have no choice but to go home.
Miho: I'll be on my way now.
Goon: Wait, Shirayuki-san!
Goon: (I really should have looked at the forecast before making plans.)
This is what happens when you set a date more than a week ahead and the RNG hates you - weather is determined 7 days in advance, and can change if you reload to a save more than 7 days before the affected date. If it's snowing, then most outdoor dates get cancelled.
I've lived in California my whole life, so I have to ask: do outdoor skating rinks actually close when it's snowing? Is this a real thing that happens to places with frozen bodies of water? Because of overzealous saving, I had to reload back to October at this point, and replay all of November.
RELOAD COUNT: 65
In the next few versions of November, any and all calls to Miho were met with rejection. So instead of wasting precious Sundays that could have been spent building stats without meeting other girls, I elected to reload instead.
RELOAD COUNT: 66, 67, 68
11/13: Perfect week bonus
Unlike in Tokimemo 1, having a perfect week at school doesn't always lead to a scene of one of the girls praising you (or dismissing you less than normal, in the case of Yuina). However, there's a giant starburst, so I guess that's something. Plus, there's no Rei waiting around the corner just itching for an opportunity to mock you, either.
11/14: Miho(?) finally says yes to something
Date set for 11/23 at Hibikino Central Park. Huzzah! It only took 4 reloads and a total of 13 attempts!
This is B-ho's autumn uniform at school. I hope you can tell the difference!
11/23: Walk in the park with Miho
Well, crap. It's Miho.
Miho: When we're face-to-face in a place like this, doesn't it feel like something special should happen?
Option 1: Like a scene in a romance novel?
Option 2: Like a set piece in a thriller?
Option 3: Like the slapstick segment of a variety show?
I don't think either Miho or B-ho would like to be hit in the face with a pie or chased down in a park as the autumn leaves fall, so the best option is 1.
Goon: Like a scene in a romance novel?
Miho: Y, yes.
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression!)
RELOAD COUNT: 69
11/21: Invite B-ho out skating on 12/11 (she accepts)
11/23: Date with Miho - where was it, again?
Tokimemo 2 retains the memory game from Tokimemo 1. If you have too many dates close together, the game will test you and ask you which meeting place you're supposed to head on the day. It leads to some different lines and is kind of funny every once in a while. Do it too often, and it's just annoying.
Goon: (Where were we meeting, again?)
Option 1: Central park
Option 2: In front of the Ijuuin Bridge
Thanks to copious note-taking, I remembered that 11/23 was the park date, leading to new date-opening dialogue.
Goon: (...)
Goon: (Did I go to the wrong place?)
Option 1: Wait a little longer
Option 2: Move to the Ijuuin Bridge
Here, the game gives you a second chance to get it right. Or to mess up, as the case may be. Since Goon is at the right place already, the right choice is to wait a little longer.
Goon: (What's taking Shirayuki-san so long? She's late.)
B-ho: Ahahahaha, sorry. I'm late.
Goon: (Sigh, she just wants to smooth it over by laughing.)
B-ho: What's wrong?
Goon: Nothing. Let's go.
B-ho: What are we doing today?
Goon: Let's walk down the avenue. It should be really nice this time of year.
B-ho: Yes, let's go.
B-ho: When we're face-to-face in a place like this, doesn't it feel like something special should happen?
Goon: Option 1: Like a scene in a romance novel?
B-ho: Y-yeah, just like that.
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression!)
At this point, it is worth noting that Tokimemo 2 has a chain combo bonus - if you go on consecutive dates with the same girl, each date has an increasing impact on that girl's affection. This is meant to make the game easier, but for obvious reasons, it's most difficult to take advantage of on the Miho/B-ho route.
Have I mentioned lately that I hate you guys? Because I do.
12/6-12/10: Midterms
12/11: Skating date, take I don't even know how many anymore
Fortunately, B-ho showed up on the first try.
Goon: I can skate like a pro.
B-ho: Awesome! Skate for me! I wanna see it!
12/12: Test results
Goon: Nice, I did pretty well.
25th: Fudou Gunma
77th: Sakaki Takumi
110th: Minazuki Kotoko
112th: Hinomoto Hikari
133rd: Shirayuki Miho
156th: Hokari Jun'ichirou
In this version of the run, Miho has been spending much more time at drama club hanging out with Goon - which means that her Science scores have suffered greatly and she has dropped down to a red score in that subject. Jun continues to be awful at social studies.
12/19: Invite B-ho to go skiing on 12/23 (she accepts)
12/23: Skiing date round 2; reload until B-ho
RELOAD COUNT: 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76
Goon: I, I see. That's a cute name.
B-ho: Artemis-chan and I both appreciate the compliment.
Goon: (Looks like I made a pretty good impression.)
12/24: Christmas double date, again
As a way of passing the misery along, I had Goon force Takumi to the merry-go-round with him on this run.
Takumi: Are you crazy?
Goon: I was at least half joking, but...
Takumi: True.
Takumi: But even as a joke, we've taken it this far, and we have to see it through.
Goon: ...Yeah.
Takumi: Well, wasn't that pointless?
Goon: Yeah...
1/1: Hatsumoude; reload until Daikichi
Mechanically, this is because daikichi lowers stress, while any kind of unlucky result can raise the stress stat. Even though Goon's stress stat is fairly low due to his low-stress life of acting, looking good, and sleeping, it's still worth reloading a bad fortune to avoid its negative effects. Besides, what's one or two reloads at this point when we're already pushing 80?
Draw #1: 大凶 (terrible luck)
RELOAD COUNT: 77
Draw #2: 大凶 (terrible luck)
RELOAD COUNT: 78
Draw #3: 凶 (bad luck)
RELOAD COUNT: 79
Draw #4: 吉 (good luck)
RELOAD COUNT: 80
Draw #5: 大吉 (great luck)
Goon: Great luck! I'm a different man this year already!
1/2: A quick breather
At this point it's a good time to take a look at the status screen, AKA Goon's room. You'll note that there is now a book on his desk to go with the wig on the top shelf, which shows up because his Lit stat is a hefty 143 at this point of the game. As Goon's stats go up, his room will fill with other little items to add some flavor to the otherwise bland room.
Overall stats:
Stamina 103 | Lit 143 | Science 65
Art 90 | Exercise 66 | General Knowledge 89
Looks 89 | Guts 11 | Stress 5
For reasons that will be explained later, Goon's goal by Christmas 2000 is 100 looks - a goal which could be met in a couple of days, if necessary.
1/9: Invite Miho(?) to the arcade (she accepts)
1/16: Arcade date
B-ho showed up to the arcade - which shouldn't be that surprising, it's one of her favorite places to go.
Goon: The overall player rank at this arcade is pretty low, so you can get a pretty honest game here.
B-ho: Is that so? I don't quite get it, but honest sounds good.
Goon: Kinda. Anyway, Shirayuki-san, let's head in.
B-ho: What kind of game were you playing? I couldn't see very clearly.
Option 1: The latest fighting game.
Option 2: A puzzle game that's popular with girls.
Option 3: A racing game that really appeals to hardcore fans.
I like to imagine here that Goon is playing Garou: Mark of the Wolves, a game very near and dear to my heart. It came out on November 26, 1999, so it would still be new in the arcades at this point in time. Not that this has any bearing on Tokimemo 2, but it's still important to know your history! So even if it wasn't the right answer, it's what I would've played at the time, dammit.
Goon: The latest fighting game.
B-ho: What? You said it was the latest one? Where is it?
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression!)
I looked it up - this is the best option for B-ho, but the other two choices are both good as well. Meanwhile, Miho hates fighting games and is lukewarm on puzzle games and racing games. I think B-ho and I would get along in real life. I bet she'd be a top-tier scumbag and main Kain just because he's well-dressed, though.
Anyway, when presented with something new and shiny, B-ho talks a mile a minute and sounds absolutely nothing like Miho - the first time all game that she hasn't even tried to match Miho's regular speech patterns because she's so excited. She usually drops down a pitch and adds the obligatory "desu yo" when she slips out of Miho mode for even a second.
B-ho: I'm glad I came. This was super fun.
B-ho: Please, invite me out again some time.
Next time: Valentine's Day, White Day, and Mei Day!